The Honda CR-V is the sixth best-selling model in the United States thus far in 2022, and Honda would like to kick that up a notch. It notes that arch-rival Toyota has enjoyed success with the RAV4 Hybrid and plug-in hybrid RAV4 Prime versions of the Toyota RAV4, one of the very few models that outsell the CR-V. So, the company that was once late to embrace hybrids is making the CR-V Hybrid a vital part of its compact SUV strategy. While the conventionally powered CR-V will gather the bulk of the model's sales, Honda expects the hybrid to contribute a significant share.
The 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid is integral to the CR-V's sixth generation. Like its turbo-engine-powered sistership, Honda bases the 5-passenger SUV on its "enhanced global architecture" that is also the basis of the Honda Civic (the 2022 North American Car of the Year) and the newly re-worked Honda HR-V small SUV.
Available in front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD), an all-new, fourth-generation, 2-motor hybrid system powers the 2023 CR-V Hybrid—one that differs markedly from the Toyota hybrids. Once, Toyota was the solitary player on the hybrid side of the compact utility segment, but recently, other brands have begun fielding entries in the category. In addition to the RAV4, the Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, and Kia Sportage offer hybrid versions.
Compared to the 2022 CR-V, the 2023 model is longer and wider than before. Honda has extended its wheelbase 1.6 inches—to 106.3—and its front and rear tracks are 0.4 inches wider. Overall, the CR-V Hybrid is 2.1 inches longer than the 2022 version. According to Honda, the new body is 15-percent torsionally stiffer, which offers a good head start in tuning its heavily revised front and rear suspensions.
Bucking a trend toward the proliferation of trims and packages within a specific model's lineup, Honda offers the 2023 CR-V Hybrid in just two trims: Sport and Sport Touring. Meanwhile, Honda also offers the turbo motor-powered CR-V in just two trims: EX and EX-L. Hybrid buyers can choose from the FWD and AWD Sport and the AWD-only Sport Touring.
The lowest-priced CR-V Hybrid is the Sport with FWD, which has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $32,450. With the addition of AWD, the Sport's price increases by $1,500. The more expensive of the two hybrid models—the CR-V Sport Touring with standard AWD—is also the top-of-the-line entry in the CR-V portfolio for 2023. It has a suggested retail price of $38,600. For context, the base front-drive 2023 Honda CR-V EX with the 1.5-liter turbocharged engine has an MSRP of $31,110. With AWD, the EX has a suggested price of $32,610. The front-drive EX-L has an MSRP of $33,760, and Honda prices the AWD version $1,500 higher. All 2023 CR-Vs have an additional $1,245 destination charge.
The test vehicle for this driving impression review was a 2023 Honda CR-V Sport Touring. Well-equipped with standard equipment, the Sport Touring's only options were auto-dimming interior mirrors and carpeted floor mats. It had an MSRP of $40,290, including the $1,245 destination fee. I drove it as part of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year testing conducted in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Photo: Jack R. Nerad
There was a time when the Honda CR-V was known as a "cute ute," but those days are over. For 2023, the all-new exterior gives the CR-V a more mature countenance. The grille captures the eye's attention, and the hood has a squared-off design that implies power. Large, 19-inch gloss black wheels on the Sport Touring trim add to the vehicle's more muscular appearance.
Industry observers have always noted the CR-V for its comfort and utility, and in the 2023 version, Honda has enhanced both factors. For one thing, it is bigger. The 2.7 inches added to the overall length and the 1.6 inches added to the wheelbase result in a vehicle with 103.5 cubic feet of passenger space. The cargo area behind the folding second row of seats is 39.3 cubic feet—almost the same as in the previous generation. But with the second row folded, interior space grows to 76.5 cubic feet—up 1.7 cubic feet versus the 2022 model. The combination of the longer wheelbase, increased torsional rigidity, and revised suspension makes it more comfortable as well.
The interior of the 2023 CR-V is more upscale than ever. It has a wide, horizontally oriented dash. In a departure for Honda, metal honeycomb mesh divides the dash nearly from door to door. The mesh conceals the adjustable air vents and offers a cool post-industrial feel. Below the mesh divider are climate controls with easily used round knobs.
The touchscreen infotainment displays rise upward from the center of the dash like a tiny billboard on the roadside. The CR-V's traditional round instruments reside under a glare-reducing hood. A new steering wheel angle is more sedan-like, so you don't feel like Ralph Kramden at the wheel. The traditional gearshift shares space with hill-descent control, drive modes, and a wireless device charging pad. Two USB ports nearby feed our abject need always to be connected.
In a bid to increase comfort, Honda fits the 2023 CR-V Sport Touring's cabin with what Honda calls body-stabilizing front seats that feature some added bolstering. Covered in black or gray leather, the seats have black accent panels and orange contrast stitching echoed in the steering wheel, doors, console, and shifter. The power window switches have silver trim, and Honda finished the dash in piano black. Rear-seat legroom is up by more than half an inch, and the split-folding rear seats have eight recline angles. The Sport trim has a black headliner and orange contrast stitching on the Sport-exclusive black cloth seats, console, door panels, leather-wrapped steering wheel, and shifter. The dash trim is matte black.
Photo: Jack R. Nerad
The 2023 Honda CR-V offers an impressive number of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) that goes beyond the offering in 2022. Blind-spot warning, a driver monitoring system, traffic-jam assist, and traffic-sign recognition are now standard. A rear seat-belt reminder system and a rear-seat reminder system are newly standard for the 2023 CR-V. They are apropos in a vehicle that often transports children and/or animals in the rear seat. Honda also upgrades the adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow and lane-keeping assistance for smoother operation. The Honda CR-V's suite of ADAS, including the Honda Sensing system, also contains forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rear cross-traffic warning, lane-centering assistance, and lane-departure warning.
The renewed Honda Sensing suite has a new wide-angle camera and millimeter-wave radar that give it a better ability to recognize the attributes of objects it detects. It goes beyond recognizing pedestrians and bicyclists to picking out white lines, curbs, vehicles, motorcycles, and road signs.
The 2023 CR-V's infotainment systems take a significant step forward versus the 2022 model, but there are still some odd omissions. A new 7-inch touchscreen system is standard on the Sport trim. It features a simplified menu structure and physical knobs for volume and tuning. It is also Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatible.
The heavily equipped CR-V Sport Touring has a 9-inch touchscreen with a physical volume knob but lacks a tuning knob. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto plus wireless device charging are standard. Honda fits the Sport Touring trim with a 12-speaker Bose audio system. The 9-inch touchscreen display also houses the integrated Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with voice recognition and digital real-time traffic information.
The CR-V Sport Touring has a new generation of the cloud-based HondaLink suite of connected services. Through the HondaLink mobile app, owners can access capabilities that include remote locking/unlocking and remote engine start. The system's capabilities include providing the vehicle's last parked location, stolen-vehicle locator, remote diagnostics, geofencing, and speed alert.
The 7-inch digital/analog instrument panel features a digital power flow meter on the hybrid trims. The multi-information display has user-selectable functions, including Honda Sensing settings and general vehicle information.
Photo: Jack R. Nerad
If you are inclined to scoff when you see that Honda labeled the CR-V's hybrid versions Sport and Sport Touring, you might think again. Compared to the 2023 Honda CR-V EX and EX-L with their 190-horsepower turbocharged 1.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, the hybrids are more powerful and more fun to drive. Why? Because the Sport and Sport Touring have a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle 4-cylinder engine tuned for economy plus an all-new 2-motor electric drive system to fill in the gaps with added torque. That instantaneously available torque gives the Sport Touring a satisfying feel that simulates all-electric drive. If you want more power, step on the gas-electric pedal. The total system output is 204 hp, and the drive system assures that torque is always there for the asking.
In addition to the CR-V hybrid's satisfying feel, it also delivers excellent fuel economy. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the CR-V Sport FWD at an impressive 43 mpg city/36 mpg highway/40 mpg combined. The AWD Sport and Sport Touring trims have EPA ratings of 40 mpg city/34 mpg highway/37 mpg combined.
Across the 2023 CR-V lineup, Honda treats buyers who specify AWD to a sophisticated system the automaker calls Real Time AWD with Intelligent Control System (ICS). It is available on the Sport and standard on the Sport Touring. The ICS activates the electric motor to apportion power based on road conditions, preemptively minimizing wheel spin before it happens by sending power to the rear wheels.
The new CR-V offers hill-descent control for the first time in its long history. Standard across every AWD vehicle in the lineup, it allows the driver to select a downhill speed anywhere between 2 and 12 mph. The system will then maintain that speed on slippery downhills. Four standard selectable drive modes—Normal, Econ, Snow, and Sport—supplement the system on hybrids.
While the conventional CR-V is comfortable and pleasant to drive, the hybrid is better. The Sport and Sport Touring have all the functionality of the EX and EX-L but offer enhanced drivability and superior fuel economy—a compelling Daily Double. Yes, the hybrids are more expensive than their gasoline-only equivalents, but depending on your needs, the value is there.
The new 2023 Honda CR-V is better than its well-regarded predecessor in just about every area. And the two hybrid trims—Sport and Sport Touring — are the best of the bunch. They offer an upscale interior, improved infotainment, enhanced active and passive safety, and the availability of sophisticated AWD tech. Their fuel economy is eye-popping, and they are also fun to drive.
Jack R. Nerad has reviewed cars, trucks, vans, and sport utilities for over three decades. He managed the editorial efforts of Motor Trend magazine and Kelley Blue Book and currently is the host of the SportsMap Radio Network program America on the Road, which is available on Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Spotify, Stitcher, and other outlets.
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